In high school, I had to take a bowling class to make up credits in order to graduate. I’m not proud of that. None of the popular kids had to make up credits. The irony is that most of the popular kids were jocks. They had better grades than I did and I never knew that until I registered for the class. There is something about bowling that calms me down. I’m not sure if it’s due to the concentration you need to have, or if it’s just relaxing. All I know is that I love to go bowling.
Why I took a bowling class
I grew up in Reno, NV. We used to go bowling, when I was younger, at this place called Sterling Village. Their lanes were the best in the city. Until the Reno Hilton, now the Grand Sierra Resort, opened their lanes. Now it’s the place to go. When I was in high school, I had to register for a bowling class to make up credits in high school. I’m not proud of that. It turns out though, bowling calms me down.
Bowling class was one of those classes that you took after school. It’s almost like an extra credit course. For those that are failing to meet their high school credit minimum. I needed 22.5 credits. I bowled for almost a year and one-half. So I was really failing. Mostly because I failed math and science a few times. I even failed Drama class.
My best bowling score ever
One day, there was a red bowling ball. It was a custom made ball. It had white finger grips and a very solid finish on it. I think I found it sitting on the bowling ball podium right in front of our lane. Regardless, I used it one day and it was amazing. I bowled a score of 260. 300 is the best bowling score that you can get. SO I was really close. Before that day, my best score was a 165. I do think the ball had a lot to do with my score, but I do know that I was very aware of what I was doing that day. I was 17 and I’ve never bowled a game that great since.
One of my friends figured out how to spin the ball, just like the pro’s do. We only put our middle finger and ring finger in the bowling ball holes. We sat the ball on our wrist and we were able to spin the ball. After a few weeks, we were able to spin the ball naturally. That was when I was able to spin the ball to a score of 260.
My bowling ball
For Christmas, my parents asked me what I wanted. I asked for a blowing ball. Of course, you need to have something that fits you. So I picked out a bowling ball and I sent my mom a link. On Christmas morning, I opened a present and there it was. I asked for a DV8 bowling ball. It has a mean hook. I no longer needed to use only two fingers to spin the ball like the pro’s. I can use all three fingers and the ball breaks after the oil on the lane. At the end of August of 2015, I got my bowling ball drilled. The guy at the pro shop, inside the Sunset Casino, helped me fit my bowling ball to my hand. It took less than 15 minutes and it cost me $42.38.
I bowled 6 games. That’s one pitcher of beer for me. I tried different ways of holding the bowling ball. I tried different ways of spinning the ball. I even tried different standing techniques. I tried standing 5 boards, to the left, of the center dot. I found that 4.5 boards, to the left of the center dot, is my sweet spot. Now, here are some pictures.
